Loose Ends
by Dayliobserver
Summary: This story is AU. Jack Malone, an old friend of Vivian Johnson, shows up at the office, asking for help in locating a woman he lost ten years ago. Totally JS.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Loose Ends

Author: Day

Rating: Um… T-M, I´d say.

Disclaimer: WaT is the property of Hank Steinberg, CBS, and a whole lot of others who aren´t me. This is just for fun.

Spoilers: The story is AU and can take place pretty much at any time, but let´s place it somewhere in early/mid Season 3.

A/N: As always I´m greatly indebted to Diane, beta-extraordinaire. I´ll attempt to update once a week.

/-

It was late and Jack was feeling extremely tired. Yawning, he glanced at the passenger seat where several empty paper cups lay scattered. He could really do with more one refill, but it was getting close to midnight and he didn´t dare leave the car out of fear he would miss the target.

It was a fairly basic assignment; in fact, it was a rather boring one, and not something he would normally trouble himself with these days. However, an old friend of his father had come to him, worried that his son-in-law wasn´t just stealing from the business, but cheating on his only daughter as well. Jack had found no proof of the latter in the couple of days he had followed the man around, but certain activities after closing hour led him to believe that there might just be something to the old man´s suspicions.

Stifling another yawn, he stiffened suddenly as his eyes caught a set of headlights in the rearview mirror. Sinking into his seat, he observed as a black van slowly pulled into the near deserted parking lot, coming to a halt directly in front of the back door leading into the store. Almost instantly the door opened and the man Jack had been waiting for appeared, exchanging quick words with the driver of the van before disappearing back inside. Shortly afterwards he reappeared, carrying a large cardboard box, which he unloaded into the back of the van. The procedure repeated itself for a few more moments, a total of five boxes being carried from the store to the van. All the while Jack dutifully took the required photos, eager for it to be over so he could get home.

As the last box had changed owners, the disloyal son-in-law stepped up to the driver´s window. Something that looked a whole lot like money changed hands and the van took off with screeching tires. Waiting till the parking lot was empty again, Jack decided, on a whim, to follow the van. It wasn´t strictly necessary and it really wasn´t a matter for him to solve, but he was at least mildly curious.

Later, when he thought about it, he knew he should have realized that he was too tired and, frankly, too complacent about the entire matter to have followed. But he didn´t think at the consequences at the time and just started his car, made a quick turn and followed the van, barely making the effort to keep enough distance between the two vehicles.

It didn´t take long before the driver of the van started to suspect that he was being followed, and he began to make increasingly sharp turns at an increasingly higher speed to shake him off. Although being slightly annoyed of having been detected, Jack couldn´t help but relish the chase and held his position – all concerns about secrecy having flown out the window. It had been a while since something like this happened.

It wasn´t until the van ran a stop light, barely avoiding a heads on collision with another car, that Jack suddenly came back to reality. Cursing softly under his breath, he realized what he was doing was dangerous and could potentially harm someone else. Slowing down, he waited patiently – or as patient as he was capable of being considering the circumstances – for the lights to change and when they did, he took off at a much more leisurely pace.

Of course by the time he reached the next crossing, there was no sign of the van and Jack sighed, but without mustering much passion. He had pretty much lost interest by now anyway. The streets were pretty much deserted and Jack made an illegal u-turn and drove back the way he had come, his mind more on what he might have in the fridge than the missing van and its driver.

Leaning back in his seat, he turned on the radio, hearing a song he recognized, but was unable to recall its title. Mulling it over in his head, he slowly became aware of a set of headlights in the rearview mirror. The lights came closer and closer, and Jack blinked in annoyance. Then he frowned. However, before he could finish the thought, the vehicle behind him revved up its engine, the driver hit the gas pedal and more than a ton of metal slammed right into the back of Jack´s car.

That in itself wasn´t so bad because the airbags took most of the impact. What was worse was that the impact pushed the car several yards ahead – right out into a traffic junction just as the lights changed. And this time the heads on collision wasn´t avoided.

/-

Two weeks later

Taking off her sunglasses, Samantha Spade sighed with relief as she walked inside and felt the cool wind of the FBI building´s air-conditioner engulf her. She liked summer as much as the next one, but there were times she really wished for a cooler climate. At least during work hours.

Taking a sip from her iced tea – she had forsaken her usual coffee due to the heat – she made a beeline for the elevators. She wasn´t exactly late, yet, but she was cutting it close, and Vivian didn´t think much of tardiness. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, an arm reached in, pulling the doors apart. Hiding her annoyance at the delay, Sam smiled perfunctorily at the man who entered, then let her gaze drop to the floor. She wasn´t in the mood for conversation.

The man didn´t offer any, but just hit a button – same floor as hers, Sam noted out of the corner of her eye – and stood calmly beside her, staring straight ahead. For a moment they rode in silence, but then something that wasn´t usually uttered in polite company escaped the man´s lips and Sam turned to him in surprise, her eyebrow arching.

"Oh, sorry." The man gave her a slightly sheepish, slightly apologetic smile. "It´s just this damn thing." He held up his arm carefully and revealed to Sam what his jacket had kept hidden so far. His left arm was in a cast. "This heat is making it itch like--" He stopped himself, just, and smiled again. "Well, you get the general idea…"

"Yes," Samantha said as she gave him a small, sympathetic grin. "I remember. Broke my arm in the fifth grade, nearly went insane before the doctor said it was okay to have it removed."

"Yeah, well," the man sighed and glanced down at his arm, "I´ll be carrying this baby around for a few more weeks. With my luck, I´ll be rid off it just in time for cooler weather to set in."

Sam couldn´t help but smile at the dejected expression on the man´s face, noticing it was undermined by the amused sparkle in his dark eyes. "You should try a knitting needle," she offered. "Worked wonders for me."

"I did. I got one and damn near lost the thing in there."

She nearly laughed out loud, although she didn´t know why. It wasn´t that funny, but there was something about the man´s delivery that just cracked her up. Taking her iced tea into her other hand, she offered him her now free hand, "I´m Samantha, by the way."

He accepted her hand and shook it briefly but firmly. "Jack."

Sam wasn´t sure what to say next and apparently neither was he, and they lapsed into silence as the elevator approached the desired floor. As the doors slid open once more, she turned to him. "Well, this is my stop."

As she exited, she half expected him to realize he had made a mistake, but to her surprise he followed her outside. "Mine, too." He looked around, gazing up and down the hallway. "By any chance, you wouldn´t happen to know where I can find Vivian Johnson´s office?"

Sam masked her surprise well as she seized up the man before her. She was sure she hadn´t seen him before. She would have remembered.

"Actually, I do," she spoke pleasantly, turning back into professional mode. "It´s right this way." She made a small gesture to indicate the right direction. "I´ll show you. I´m heading that way myself."

"So you work here? You´re a Fed?" Jack inquired as they started to walk.

"I do, and I am," Sam nodded, but inwardly she frowned. She thought she had detected some kind of… incredulity in his tone of voice. It wouldn´t be the first time she had encountered such a reaction from a man. An older man to boot. However, when she threw a furtive glance his way, he didn´t appear particularly surprised, but just took in the surroundings, speaking more to himself than her, "Must be interesting."

"It can be," Sam replied neutrally.

"Is Viv a good boss?"

Again, Samantha was surprised, but she answered the question readily enough, "The best, she´s tough, but she´s fair, and you know she always has your back." It was the perfect opening and Sam wasted no time grasping it, absently wondering in the back of her mind why she felt so curious. "So you know Vivian?"

Jack turned his dark eyes to her. "We´re old friends," he paused for a second, then continued in a low voice, breaking eye contact, "or maybe you could say we have a mutual acquaintance."

Before Sam could inquire further, Jack spoke as he gazed ahead, "Oh, there she is. Hasn´t changed much, has she?"

"I wouldn´t know," Sam answered as she followed his gaze into Vivian´s office, smiling faintly to herself from the sudden affection she had noticed in Jack´s voice.

Lingering without really realizing it, Samantha studied Jack studying Vivian. She liked the way he carried himself with a manner of authority and dignity as if he was used to getting his way, yet was relaxed enough to laugh at himself. He wasn´t afraid to seek out eye contact and hold it either, something Sam subconsciously appreciated, too, as she had always associated that trait with honesty.

On a purely frivolous level, she noted that he wasn´t really what she normally went for in a man, but admitted to herself that she probably would have given him a second look had she passed him in the street. There was an intensity about him that ensured that.

The suit he wore was almost certain to be tailor-made, his shoes were Italian and if he had bothered to shave this morning he would have been fairly well-groomed, but other than that there was no indication of what this man did for a living. Or what kind of man he was, for that matter. However, if he was a friend of Vivian´s, she assumed he had to be a decent guy in one way or the other.

Checking her watch, she was about to say her goodbyes, but paused suddenly when she noticed several fairly fresh cuts just below Jack´s hairline at his left temple. They were fading, but from her experience she could tell they would leave scars. She wondered if they were in anyway connected to his broken arm.

However, her train of thought was derailed as Jack turned to her abruptly, holding out his hand. "Thank you for your assistance, Samantha. I think I can take it from here."

"Oh, okay." She was a little startled by his sudden move from reflective to active, but didn´t let it on and shook his hand quickly. For a moment neither moved, but just looked at each other and Sam suddenly felt herself become unsettled for no apparent reason. Shaking off the sensation, she offered him a friendly smile as she took a few steps backwards. "Well, have fun catching up."

Jack nodded, but didn´t reply, his gaze following her thoughtfully as she turned around and briskly walked away.

Standing alone in the corridor, watching her leave, something resembling doubt and uncertainty suddenly showed in Jack´s eyes, but it only lasted for a couple of seconds. Then he shook his head imperceptibly, looked away and knocked gently on the door to Vivian Johnson´s office.

Viv looked up from where she was sitting behind her desk, her eyes widening in surprise when she spotted him. Then, slowly, a smile began to spread.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

Continued from chapter 1

xxx

"Get in here." An uncharacteristic wide grin showed on Vivian Johnson´s face. Jack obliged, letting the glass door fall shut behind him and stepped over to give her a slightly awkward one-armed hug.

"Damn you, Jack," Viv spoke as they separated, giving him a mock offended look. "Took you long enough. I don´t hear from you for almost a year, and then you suddenly call and say you´ll be in town. For how long anyway?"

"It depends," Jack responded non-committally, sidestepping the question. Vivian noticed, but let it slide for now and he smiled warmly at her, giving her a quick looking over, noticing she looked healthy if a little tired. "And I´m sorry about not being in touch more often, but you know what it´s like." He pushed a few sheets of paper aside and perched himself on the edge of Vivian´s desk as she returned to her chair. Pushing it back slightly, she tilted her head to look up at him.

"Yeah, I guess." She studied him for a moment. He looked himself. It was possible a few more grey hairs had appeared, maybe the lines of his faces had become more noticeable, but his eyes were as keen and alert as ever, staring into hers without wavering. She had always thought he would have made a good agent. "You look good; retirement becomes you. Or should I say semi-retirement?" Jack only shrugged, half smiling, and she continued, "What happened to your arm?"

He shrugged again, but did answer this time. "Well, let´s just say that I left my head at home one day and it nearly cost me my neck." He smiled drolly at the raised eyebrow she sent his way, but then glanced down to consult his watch. "Look, Viv, I´ll be happy to tell you all about it, but there are a few other people I have to meet and I know you have work to do. How about we meet up later tonight? Then we´ll have time enough to reminisce and catch up."

"Yes, and for you to tell me what it is you want."

A knowing smirk showed on Vivian´s face and it widened slightly by the startled expression on his.

"What makes you think--"

"C'mon, Jack, I´ve known you for twelve years. If you just wanted to catch up, you would have called or e-mailed like always."

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but then he slowly closed it again. Shaking his head lightly, he glanced down at the floor, then back at her. With a slightly self-deprecating grin, he said, "All right, there´s something, but I really did want to see you, too."

"Don´t sweat it, Jack." There was a small note of amusement tinged with affection in Vivian´s voice. "I´m always happy to see you; you know that." They regarded each other in silence then she asked matter-of-factly, "Is it serious?"

He let out a low sigh, staring absently at a couple of folders lying on Vivian´s desk before answering slowly, "Serious? No, I wouldn´t call it that. It´s just something that´s been on my mind for a long time, a lot more so lately, and…" He faltered, suddenly looking a little unsure and she got the impression it had more to do with some kind of uncertainty in himself than whether he wanted to tell her. But the expression faded and he finished with a nonchalant grin, "Well, I guess I wanted your input."

Vivian nodded. She knew he had been about to say something else, but didn´t call him on it. There would be time enough for that later. Tearing off a piece of paper, she quickly wrote down an address and handed it to him. "Here, let´s meet there around seven. They really serve the most amazing ribs there; people here go there all the time. I´ll try not to be late, but in this line of work you never know."

"Okay." Jack only threw the shortest of glances at the address before folding it and slipping it into his shirt pocket. "And don´t worry about being late, I´m used to keeping my own company."

"Yes, I know."

There was something in Vivian´s softly spoken comment that made Jack look at her sharply, but when he saw the look in her eyes he smiled to himself and just said, "Save it for tonight, Viv. You´ll be free to fix me there."

"You don´t need fixing, Jack," Vivian answered with just a hint of a smile. "You need direction, that´s all."

Her words had a visible impact on him and he straightened up slowly, eyeing her closely, his expression thoughtful. Then suddenly he smiled a genuine and almost giddy smile. At least, that´s what Viv would have called it if she didn´t know any better. Somehow she had difficulties imagining Jack Malone ever having been giddy about anything.

"Maybe you´re right; in fact, I think you´re exactly right."

"Well, I´m glad." Vivian was quite surprised by his reaction, but also pleased that he seemed to have taken to her words, although she had no idea what he was thinking of. However, in the past when they had met up and talked about their lives, Jack had always had a tendency to obsess over matters and bring them up again long after she had considered them solved or discarded. If he had started to ease up and display a more laissez-faire approach to life, then by all means, she was all for it.

Of course, just as she had finished the thought, Jack grew perfectly earnest again. Instinctively she knew what would be coming next and she steeled herself for it, hoping against hope that he wouldn´t say it.

But he did. He took a breath and spoke gently, "I´m sorry about your marriage. It must be very hard."

Vivian looked down for a moment, her gaze straying from the chaos of files and reports to the nameplate prominently displayed on the top of her desk. Then without looking at him, she said quietly, "It is." Silence lingered between them for a while, but then she straightened up, a different kind of resolve behind her words. "It´s hard, but it´s for the best. It was a long time coming; you know that."

"Maybe." Jack didn´t sound utterly convinced. However, he didn´t elaborate and just asked, "How´s Reggie taking it?"

Viv sighed, looking resigned and this time her tiredness wasn´t merely hinted at. "As well as can be expected I guess. He´s at his father´s tonight." She hesitated for just a second. "He seems to like it there."

Jack didn´t know what to say to that so he just nodded, feeling vaguely uncomfortable. He had no experience with marriage himself – other than the train wreck that had been his parents´- and he had always thought that if he were ever to get married, he would like his marriage to be similar to that of Vivian´s and Marcus´. They had seemed like the ideal couple to him and when Viv first began to hint that it wasn´t as stellar as he had led himself to believe, it had actually shaken him quite a bit. But the idea that they would actually divorce had never entered his mind, and yet, three months ago there had been a brief message in his inbox saying that the papers had now been signed. He hadn´t known what to say back then either.

"I´m sorry."

Both knew it wasn´t just the dissolution of her marriage he was sorry for.

"It´s okay."

But both knew it wasn´t. Not really.

Jack slid off the desk and stepped around it. Stopping just short of her chair, he reached down and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. As she gazed up at him, he spoke solicitously, "I know it´s too little, too late, but I´m here now. Whatever you need…"

Vivian could see the sincerity reflected in his eyes and she had no doubt that it wasn´t just a polite platitude, but that he actually meant it. It was typical Jack. Whenever he made a mistake, no matter what kind, he would spend all his time and energy until it had been rectified. Sometimes long after he should just have left well enough alone and walked away. Or at least that was the way it had been once. Some of his actions in the last couple of years had made her question if that was still the case. However, as she looked at him now, any concerns or reservations she might have had were erased for now. Letting her guard down, she allowed some of the weariness and regret she felt to show as she replied in a low voice, "Thank you, Jack. I appreciate that."

He gave her shoulder a small squeeze, held her eyes just a little longer for emphasis, then stepped away. "I should let you get back to work. I´ve kept you long enough. Your agents must be getting restless." He glanced over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of the blond woman he had shared the elevator with walking by outside. Samantha, was it? "They most certainly have been circling your office a lot."

Vivian suppressed a grin. "So you noticed that, did you?" From her position it hadn´t taken her long to notice that the members of her team had taken an interest in what was going on in her office. She was rather impressed that Jack, having had his back to them most of the time, had caught on as well. But, of course, he had always been very observant. "Well, what can I say," she rose and walked with him to the door. "We´re all FBI agents here, curious to a fault."

She opened the door and held it open for him, saying as he walked past her, "It´s really good to see you, Jack. I´m looking forward to catching up tonight."

"Me too." He gave her another one-armed hug, smiling down at her. "So sevenish?"

"Sevenish."

As Jack watched Viv walk away to join her agents who were standing close together, chatting quietly, one of them looked up and caught his eye. It was Samantha - he felt fairly confident that was her name. She had clearly heard Vivian approach, but her gaze almost instantly trailed past her superior to where Jack was standing. She was actually very beautiful, Jack noted to himself. He had, of course, seen it earlier when they spoke, but he had been a bit pre-occupied with his thoughts to fully take notice. Now he did.

Although wondering why she was looking at him, he felt it would be impolite to just ignore it since she had been helpful to him. Mulling over his options quickly, he then just took a chance and did what felt most natural and gave her a brief and amiable smile. At first there was no real reaction from her, though Jack thought he did detect some hidden surprise, but then the faintest hint of a smile came back his way. But only for a second, then she looked away, her attention now on Vivian, who had begun to speak.

Somehow, when Jack left the building a few minutes later, he felt in a much better mood than when he entered. He figured seeing Viv again had had that effect on him.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Nothing groundbreaking, other than to say -Diane - you´re still the best beta! Feedback is as always greatly appreciated.

xxx

Continued from chapter 2

xxx

It was a lot more relaxed looking Jack Malone that slipped into the bar a few minutes after seven. He had changed into a pair of faded jeans, a simple white shirt and a battered old leather jacket, but despite the worn look, it was obvious the items had been expensive when he purchased them. The place he had walked into was crowded and darkly lit, but it had a pleasant atmosphere and Jack felt right at home.

Making his way to the bar, he ordered a beer then turned around to lean against the counter as he sipped from it, taking a quick inventory of the surroundings. He always liked to know where everything was when finding himself somewhere new. People were scattered around, some sitting at small round tables, others choosing to sit more comfortably and privately in a booth. He wasn´t surprised not to see Vivian anywhere. He had deliberately showed up late, knowing from experience that she was likely to be even later.

He leisurely finished his beer in about ten minutes and was debating with himself whether to get another, when a young, brunette strolled up to him from out of nowhere, nodded at his empty glass and asked, "Can I buy you another?"

Jack hid a smile; her face was almost a mask from the amount of makeup she was wearing, not really his type, and she was at least ten years younger than he. However, he couldn´t deny feeling a little flattered.

Giving her a small smile, he said, with as much regret as he could muster, "Any other time, I´d have loved one, but unfortunately I´m waiting for someone."

"Too bad." She didn´t appear offended and gave him a quick appraising look. "Another time maybe?" she asked with a smile as their eyes met again.

"Another time," Jack repeated affably, surprising himself by feeling a little regretful as the brunette carefully made her way through the crowd, soon disappearing from his sight. Perhaps he had been alone for too long. Well, maybe not much longer if everything worked out the way he wanted it to.

"Can´t leave you alone for a moment, can I?"

"And your timing is impeccable, as always," Jack grinned for more reasons than one, turning his head to see Vivian easing herself between two men in suits and coming to stand beside him. He checked his watch. Close to half past seven; that was unusually punctual for Vivian. "You´re almost early," he said as he gestured for the nearest bartender, trying to get her attention. "Didn´t you have any pressing cases lying around?"

Viv sighed, unbuttoning her coat. "Just closed a case tonight."

Jack threw a glance at her. From the expression on her face he didn´t have to ask what the outcome had been. She caught the sympathy in his eyes, but smiled a little, shrugging off her distress. At least the distress that was plain to see. "So, are you going to get me something to drink or not?"

"Oh, of course." Jack had forgotten about the bartender for a moment and she had long since been hailed by someone elsewhere.

A sudden rupture of raucous laughter filled the air and Vivian leaned in, speaking closely to his ear, "I´ll go find us a booth. We´ll be more comfortable there. I´ll just have a beer as well."

Jack nodded absently, still trying to get someone to take his order. At last he succeeded, looking around and scanning the area before he spotted Viv waving at him from the back of the room. More or less deftly, he managed to join her with only one little spill. Slipping into the booth, he sat down across from her and proffered her a beer before taking one of the napkins from a container on the table to wipe his hands.

Vivian held up her glass, smiling faintly as she met his eyes. "Cheers, Jack."

"Cheers, Viv."

A minute or two went by with neither speaking, just savouring the beer and studying the people around them. Then Viv put her glass down and said simply, "So, Jack, why don´t you tell me what´s on your mind. Once we´ve sorted that out, we can get started catching up."

Jack hid his second smile that evening. Straight and to the point, that was Vivian all right. "Guess that´s fair." He put his own glass down, but didn´t let it go and instead began to twirl it slowly between his fingers. If Vivian didn´t know better, she would say he was nervous. He hesitated a little longer, then spoke at length, still looking at his beer, "This is going to sound… well, somewhat out of character for me I guess…"

He looked up, smiling sheepishly. "Promise me you won´t laugh?"

Vivian peered at him curiously, feeling slightly amused by the request, then nodded in encouragement, urging him to continue.

Jack took a deep breath, then spoke hurriedly as if he was afraid he was going to change his mind, "Well, the thing is that about two weeks ago I was doing a bit of work for someone. It wasn´t particularly interesting, but I was growing bored so I figured why the hell not. However, I didn´t really have my heart into it, and as a result…" He raised his cast briefly and her gaze flickered to it for a second before settling back on his face. "Let´s just say I got hurt in the most stupid way possible and that I was very lucky that nothing worse happened. In fact, the guys who carved me out of the wreck that was once my car told me I was very, very lucky to practically walk away unscathed."

He bit his lip, looking troubled and thoughtful for a moment and she could almost see how his mind drifted back to whatever kind of accident he had been involved in. Then he shook his head imperceptibly and returned his attention back to her. "At first I was just glad to be alive, but then the whole thing got me thinking."

"About what?" Vivian inquired softly after some time had passed. She didn´t want to interrupt his thoughts, but it looked like he had drifted off again.

Dark eyes focused on her. "About my life, about what I´ve done with it so far. What things I´ve accomplished and what things I haven´t. What I regret doing and what I regret _not _doing."

Viv couldn´t help but smile, but it was a gentle and understanding smile. "So basically your near death experience triggered all these questions -- very understandable questions -- and that, combined with your occasional idle existence, has led you to having an early midlife crisis?"

For a second it looked like Jack didn´t know what to think of her response. Frowning momentarily and looking a little put off, he said, "I don´t know if I´d put it quite…" He faltered gradually, looked down then at the table for a moment or two then back at her as a grin broke out on his face. Raising his glass to his lips and making a silent toast, he spoke wryly, "Always cutting through the bullshit, aren´t you, Viv? No wonder they made you team leader. There´s no hiding anything from you."

Vivian didn´t reply, but just raised an eyebrow lightly as she drank some too. However, Jack could tell she was pleased by his words. Then suddenly it dawned upon him that with the drastic turn her life must have taken after her divorce, she probably related to and understood more about his situation and what he was feeling than many others would. Some of the questions and doubts that had been following him lately were almost certain to have been keeping her awake at night as well.

He was about to say something, but she spoke first. "Go on."

However, he didn´t and Vivian noticed the expression emerging on his face, recognizing a mixture of sympathy and regret, and sighed slowly. One at a time or they would never get anywhere. Giving him a fond but pointed look, she spoke in a fairly good imitation of what he had said earlier this morning, "Feel free to fix me later, Jack. Let´s get you over with first."

He was slightly taken aback at first, then shook his head, smiled fleetingly and raised his glass in acknowledgement before emptying it in one big swallow.

"Okay..." He began, distractedly and unceremoniously wiping a whiff of foam from his lips with the back of his hand before leaning closer to her across the table. "Since you have a habit of coming to the point straight away, I´ll do the same." He looked into her eyes, seeing nothing but quiet patience. "Do you remember Virginia?"

Vivian´s eyebrow rose again, this time of its own volition.

xxx

It was close to ten when Special Agents Spade, Fitzgerald and Taylor pushed themselves through the doors to Franklin´s, their hearts falling when they saw the amount of people in there.

"It´s a Tuesday night," Danny Taylor mumbled under his breath, glancing around him in dismay. "Don´t people have work to do in the morning?"

Samantha Spade and Martin Fitzgerald exchanged an amused look. "You mean like you do?" Martin spoke with a grin, grabbing Danny´s arm and beginning to pull him with him. "Come on, let´s order some ribs. I´m starving. Sam, try getting us a table, will you?"

"Easier said than done," Sam muttered to herself, looking around. All the tables were occupied and it appeared as though it was the same with the booths. About to turn around and fight her way to the bar to inform them of the depressing news, her gaze fell on the back of someone´s head just visible over the wall of one of the booths. She could just see the beginning of short black hair sticking up and then suddenly a hand, as whoever was sitting there leaned back against the booth, bringing one of his arms up to rest over his head.

For a couple of seconds she stalled, for no reason whatsoever, then she shook her head, wondering if she had just experienced some kind of déjà vu. Dismissing it, she once again was about to turn when a familiar voice called out, "Hey, Samantha! Over here!"

She looked back, seeing Vivian appear from the booth she had just observed, inviting her over. Sam smiled automatically and went over, unsurprised to see that the dark hair belonged to the man who had visited Vivian earlier. From what Vivian had said briefly before getting into work, they were old friends. He was looking up at her with a friendly expression, apparently relaxed and not minding her presence, but his eyes were piercing and unwavering and she suddenly got the feeling that she was being thoroughly studied. Sam felt herself tense involuntarily. Even though she sensed no judgment on his part, she couldn´t help it. It was a knee-jerk response to her by now after so many years of working in a male-dominated field.

"Jack." She gave him a brief nod of recognition and acknowledgement.

"Samantha," he returned her greeting in a low and pleasant voice. "Why don´t you join us?" He somehow managed to indicate the booth with his broken arm. "I doubt you´ll be able to find anywhere else to sit."

"You sure you don´t mind?" Sam asked politely, wordlessly checking with Vivian, who smiled encouragingly. "It´s just…" She glanced over her shoulder towards the bar. "The guys are here, too, and it might make it a little difficult for you two to reminisce."

"Oh, I think we have chatted about the past long enough for now. Don´t you, Jack?" Viv said calmly, finishing her third beer judging from the glasses on the table. "Take a seat, Sam. Martin and Danny should be able to squeeze in as well."

Sam glanced from Vivian to Jack and back again. "Okay, if you´re sure…" She hesitated for a split second then sat down on the bench next to Jack, keeping enough distance between them to avoid him feeling trapped or accidentally jolting his injured arm. It wasn´t that she had a particular desire to be close to him, but sitting next to him made it harder for him to fix her with that intense stare of his than if she sat across from him.

"So, you two already met?"

At first Sam wasn't sure what Vivian was referring to, but then realization struck and she opened her mouth to answer, but Jack was faster. "Yes. This morning. Samantha was kind enough to show me where your office is."

Vivian only nodded vaguely in response and Sam thought she looked a little preoccupied.

Silence fell and began to stretch, both her companions seeming lost in thought--and Sam started to feel a little uncomfortable. But just as she was about to take the easy way out and ask Vivian something work-related, the silence was conveniently broken by the arrival of Danny and Martin carrying trays with drinks and plates with ribs.

"Here we come bearing gifts," Danny exclaimed, putting his tray down on the table with enough force to make the empty beer glasses already there rattle. "The ribs are looking particularly fine tonight I may add."

Without waiting for an invitation, he sat down beside Vivian and arranged the three plates with ribs on the table so everybody present would be able to reach. Then he grabbed one himself, took a bite and began to chew vigorously as his gaze came to rest on Jack, openly and unapologetically watching him. Jack didn´t appear troubled or annoyed, but just stared right back.

Vivian sighed, then spoke good-humouredly, "Jack, allow me to introduce you to Danny Taylor and Martin Fitzgerald. They are some of my finest agents. Danny, Martin, this is Jack Malone, an old friend of mine."

"Nice to meet you." Martin put down his own tray and held out a hand, and Jack leaned slightly past Sam to shake it. "Likewise."

Danny settled for a friendly nod, reaching for a napkin to wipe his greasy fingers, his eyes still on Jack. Still on his feet, Martin looked down at the people seated before him - hesitating - then he sat down next to Sam. "Scoot in a little."

She did as he said, but not quite far enough and Martin pushed her further in to avoid sitting half on, half off the bench. A little exasperated by his antics, Sam reached for the beer he had brought and then grimaced inwardly when she felt her elbow connect somewhat forcefully with Jack Malone´s cast. "Sorry," she turned to him.

He met her eyes steadily. "Don´t worry about it."

"I can move away a little. Martin, would you--" She started to turn to get her co-worker´s attention – he was currently pushing a club soda towards Danny - but Jack´s voice drew her back.

"It´s fine," came his quiet reply. Then a slow grin spread on his face. "Just don´t wriggle too much and I´ll be fine."

Sam looked at him closely, finding nothing but light amusement and decided to return the grin. "Don´t worry, I´m not really in the habit of wriggling."

Jack just nodded, his grin bit-by-bit turning into a faint, almost thoughtful smile as he looked at her. "So, Samantha, was it? I´m afraid I didn´t catch your last name."

"That´s because I didn´t offer it to you."

He raised his eyebrows and made a face and she relented with a small smile of her own. "It´s Spade. Samantha Spade."

It took him a few seconds to make the connection, but before he could comment she gave him a mock warning look. "Say it, and I´ll reconsider my stand on wriggling."

He tried not to smile. "Fair enough."

Smiling to herself, Sam reached out again to take her beer -- this time using her left hand. Bringing it to her lips, she sipped it slowly, absently looking at and listening to Danny who -- judging from the grin on his face -- was in the midst of telling a very funny anecdote. Glancing at Martin, she could tell he was paying avid attention, asking for various clarifications between munching on ribs. Whereas, as her gaze moved to Viv, her boss still appeared to be thinking about other things.

And then she felt it.

Sam looked down slightly, realizing her error.

Apparently, sitting next to Jack Malone, even sitting very close to him, was in no way a guarantee that she would escape his intense scrutiny.

What was his problem, anyway?

Putting her beer down rather hard, she straightened up abruptly, realizing but not really caring that she brushed none too gently against his arm by doing so. Then she turned her eyes to him, meeting his stare dead on.

If she startled him, she couldn´t tell. He didn´t even blink or lower his gaze.

What Sam didn´t know at the time was that Jack Malone enjoyed a challenge.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I know the pacing of this story has been a little slow so far. I´ll see if I can speed things up a bit. (No promises, though! g ) Oh, one more thing. Diane? This isn´t going to turn into a J/S/M triangle fic. In this one, Martin doesn´t stand a chance.

xxx

Continued from chapter 3

xxx

"Yes?" Jack inquired politely, growing a little bemused when Samantha kept staring at him without saying a word. He attempted a joke and asked, "Do I have something on my face?"

Sam still didn´t respond.

Jack broke eye contact, glancing down at the table and Sam could swear she saw a flicker of a smile. When he turned to her again she had it confirmed.

"Okay. Point taken." Sam arched an eyebrow skeptically, but judging from the expression on her face, Jack decided she was becoming less exasperated. "It´s a bad habit of mine."

"Staring at people?" Or maybe not.

He hesitated, then said good-humouredly, "I wouldn´t call it that. I just--"

"Have no manners and the curiosity of a five-year-old," Vivian interrupted suddenly from across the table, shooting Jack a knowing look. "Never mind Jack here, Sam. One of his greatest strengths -- and weaknesses -- is to always wanting to get inside someone else´s head."

"Oh, I don´t know about--" Jack began, but was once again interrupted, this time by Danny Taylor, who leaned in over the table to get a better look. "So what do you do, Mr. Malone? How do you know Viv?"

"It´s Jack," Jack corrected with a smile, noticing how everybody´s attention was now focused solely on him. Even if he hadn´t known, it wouldn´t have been difficult to guess they were working in some kind of law enforcement by the way they were all looking at him. Friendly interest, for sure, but it was clearly mixed with professional curiosity as well. He could tell Vivian was finding the situation somewhat entertaining as she grinned at him over the brim of her glass. "I met Viv several years ago here in New York, I was trying to get some information and she was trying to get the same albeit in a somewhat more official way." He met Vivian´s eyes and they shared a small smile. "We ended up having a little give and take and it all worked out for the best. As to what I do…"

"Jack does a little bit of everything," Viv chimed in, smirking slightly. "What is it you call yourself?" Oh yeah, security consultant."

"Sounds better than unemployed lay-about."

Vivian practically snorted, drawing amused looks from all her agents. "Yes, Jack, that´ll be the day."

Jack gave her a half smile, but admitted nothing, and then turned back to Danny. "I help with arranging and setting up security for both businesses and private homes. I´m also occasionally called upon to investigate certain matters that… well, that the employers involved would rather keep to themselves and deal with privately once they get the results."

"Really." Samantha´s comment was dry enough to catch Jack´s attention.

"What´s that supposed to mean?" he asked, not defensively, but genuinely curious. "It´s perfectly legal what I do."

Sam took a sip of beer, then spoke calmly without looking at him, "Well, it´s just that in our line of work we sometimes deal with people like you. And in almost every case, out of some sense of misguided loyalty, we´re kept in the dark long enough to endanger the investigation and potentially the life of our missing person."

Jack nodded slowly, taking in her words and her profile as she continued to gaze straight ahead. He got the impression she was still somewhat annoyed with him and, in return, he began to get a little annoyed as well. "I see how that can happen. Still my loyalties lie with my employer. _However_," he added with some emphasis as Sam finally turned her head to look at him, "I would never withhold information from the police or the FBI, for that matter, if I deemed it to be of any use to you."

"If you deemed it to be of any use to us?" Sam´s tone of voice had gone from dry to incredulous and Martin put a hand on her arm trying to get her attention, but he was ignored.

"Yes."

"And you´re qualified to make that decision?"

There was some borderline hostility between them now as they stared at each other, their faces close together as both had leaned forward to make their point. Sam could smell the beer on his breath and realized he probably smelled the same on hers. So she moved back a little, inwardly annoyed when she hit the roadblock that was Martin´s shoulder.

"I like to think so."

There was a certain curtness to Jack´s reply that hadn´t been there earlier, and even though it was to be expected, Sam felt her hackles rise. As she continued to hold his gaze firmly, she absently wondered how this man so effortlessly managed to get under her skin. She had to admit she doubted he was deliberately trying to provoke her, but somehow he did just that.

"Well, I´ll have you know--"

"Kids, kids, stop the fighting." It was Danny who spoke up, having watched with great fascination the ping-pong like exchange between Samantha and Jack, but deciding enough was enough. He didn´t want his pleasant evening ruined by a pointless argument and he was surprised that Sam had gone along with it. Or that Vivian hadn´t put an end to it; but from the expression on her face, he gathered that his boss was getting a little personal enjoyment from watching Jack having to defend himself. Perhaps she wasn´t too thrilled about his line of work either.

"We´re all among friends here, right?" He smiled conciliatory, gazing from Jack to Sam, who shrugged, apparently not quite convinced. However, after a second or two, Jack´s frown decreased and he briefly returned the smile. Danny grinned and pushed a plate toward them, adding with a flourish, "Here, have some ribs. There´s nothing Franklin´s ribs can´t fix."

"You sound just like Martin," Sam responded darkly, but was unable to stop her answering smile from showing slowly as Danny gave her his most ingratiating look and she heard Martin´s feigned outrage at her comment.

"I resent the fact that people seem to think I think only with my stomach."

His words were met with various versions of 'whatever' and exaggerated eye rolls from his co-workers and Danny seized the moment to quickly launch into another humorous anecdote. It all served to quickly dissipate the tension from the table.

Sam turned to Martin and spoke to him idly for a few minutes with Danny offering the occasional comment. But her mind wasn´t really on the conversation and Martin had to repeat himself more than once when she failed to answer. She was more focused on the man sitting on her other side, who was currently questioning Vivian about issues of jurisdiction, and every time he moved, she felt his bad arm press into her side. However, she could hardly blame him for having broken his arm, and she had always thought life was too short to carry a grudge - particularly such a silly one as their little discussion earlier warranted. So Sam set her irritation aside, excused herself to Martin and turned to Jack just as there came a lull in his talk with Vivian.

He could hardly miss her movement and turned his head slightly. Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he spoke quietly, reaching for his beer, "I hope you´re not in the mood for round two, Agent Spade? If so, I concede defeat already."

There was no reproach in his voice, just wry amusement. Jack could hold a grudge when he wanted to, but this wasn´t one of these times.

When Sam didn´t reply, he turned to fully face her. "What?"

She was silent for one moment longer as she looked into his eyes. Jack got the strange feeling that she was reading something from him and his brow furrowed in question. Then she shook her head imperceptibly as if wanting to clear it before giving him an almost abashed smile. "Sorry, and no, I was actually going to make you a peace offering and buy a round, it´s just…"

"What?" he repeated softly and Sam could practically feel it as his entire attention was directed her way.

She felt just a little self-conscious without knowing why, but she shrugged it off with a smile and said lightheartedly, "It´s just that you don´t strike me as a man to easily concede defeat."

The words were out of her mouth before she had the time to really think about what she was saying, and she cringed inwardly. She had meant it all in good fun, but it had sounded just a little too…intimate for her liking.

If Jack thought the same, he pretended not to notice and just smiled as he said, "Coming from you, I´ll take that as a compliment. Now, what was it you said about buying a round?"

xxx

"Abandoning us so soon?"

Jack looked up from his wallet, watching Samantha as she approached him. Judging from the direction she was coming from, she had just been to the ladies room.

He smiled briefly then glanced down to resume what he had been doing, awkwardly counting the bills in his wallet. "I have a meeting tomorrow morning, but don´t worry, I know it´s my turn and I´m still going to buy one last round before I´m out of here."

"Well, that wasn´t what I was getting at, but thanks anyway," Sam spoke, the smile on her face unseen by him but he could still hear it in her voice.

Turning her head, she gazed back at her fellow agents still seated in the booth and, from what she could tell, engaged in deep conversation. Without conscious thought, she made a spontaneous decision and sat down on a barstool beside Jack instead of joining them. Ever since eleven, the place had cleared out a great deal and it was actually possible to get a seat at the bar now.

"I just thought that someone who describes himself as an 'unemployed lay-about' wouldn´t be leaving a bar till way past midnight – much less have an early morning meeting."

Jack grinned to himself and didn´t look up. "Well, maybe I did exaggerate a little earlier. I _do _occasionally work."

"Yeah, I guess you do."

Sam eyed him speculatively in the silence that followed, taking in his appearance. He had shrugged off his leather jacket a long time ago, but she could tell the shirt was expensive. It wasn´t really any of her business, but she and Jack had chatted amicably enough in the last hour or so, without any further aggravation on either part, and she had to admit he was friendly and easy to talk to when not cornered. In fact, she had surprised herself by actually finding him interesting, wanting to know more about him.

Deciding on an approach, she observed casually, "I didn´t know the security business paid so well." At this he looked up. "I mean," she made a vague gesture in his direction, finishing with his shoes, "those items aren´t exactly cheap. Should I be thinking about changing careers?"

Jack didn´t reply at first, turning to the bar and putting a wad of bills on the bar counter - he had found that was the easiest way to get the bartender´s attention – before speaking lightly, "How very observant of you, Agent Spade. And no, I wouldn´t suggest you changing your career. It doesn´t really pay well."

He was about to continue, but paused as the bartender made a beeline for them. Hesitating, Jack decided on one last beer for himself and ordered one as well for Viv and Martin and another club soda for Danny. Looking at Sam, he asked, "What can I get you?"

She glanced at her watch. She really shouldn´t. But then she met his eyes and found herself shrugging and saying with a smile, "Oh, what the hell, in for a penny…give me another beer."

Her answer elicited a small smile from him and he made the order. As the bartender set out to work and the drinks accumulated on the counter between them, he turned back to her, picking up the thread without difficulty, "In fact, my work is often tedious and involves filling out a lot of forms."

"Ah, paperwork," Sam nodded in sympathy. "I know all about it. So did you marry a wealthy socialite instead?" She accepted the beer he handed her, but then abruptly hesitated with it halfway to her lips. Realizing she came off as overly curious, she grew serious. "Sorry, I´m out of line. You don´t have to answer; I´m just curious."

Jack gave her a smile to let her know he didn´t mind. "Occupational hazard, I assume?"

He took his own beer. They didn´t toast, but held each other´s gaze as they both sipped it carefully. The bartender had been more than generous filling the glasses and Jack made a mental note to leave a just as generous tip.

He hadn´t really minded it earlier when Vivian´s colleagues showed up – they had been done discussing the past by then – but he wouldn´t have minded having her just to himself either. They met up so rarely that he considered every moment they spend together precious. However, Jack had to admit that he had been having a good time tonight. Perhaps even more so after the rest of the team showed up.

He could tell how they each filled an important position on the team and how well they complemented each other. And, more importantly, he could see that everybody genuinely liked not just working with each other, but also spending time with each other after work. For a second, he experienced a brief stab of regret, recalling his days in the army, but then he pushed it away. He wasn´t in the mood for melancholy tonight.

"So…" Jack began when a sudden impulse caused him to turn around and look back at the booth he had been occupying for most of the night. Sam followed his gaze in confusion, wondering what had caught his attention. All she could see was Martin, head bent, gazing into an empty glass – after a game of pool he and Danny had happened to change seats – and Viv, who wasn´t looking their way either.

"Something wrong?"

Jack shrugged, dismissing the impulse and turned back to Sam. "No, I just… just had a feeling I guess. Anyway… what were we talking about again?"

As Sam repeated her question and Jack started to tell the story of his wealth, Martin only dared to throw the most furtive looks in their direction. Jack Malone had come a little too close to catching him the first time round.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: As always, my heartfelt thanks to Diane for betaing – and putting up with me when I play hookey. Feedback always appreciated.

xxx

Continued from chapter 4

xxx

It was well after midnight when Samantha unlocked the door to her apartment with a slightly unsteady hand and stepped inside. She didn´t bother with switching on any lights, knowing her way around even with her eyes closed. As she hung up her coat and kicked off her heels, she mentally berated herself for staying up so late on a 'school night'. And drinking to boot. However, walking into her kitchen she pushed the thought away. It happened so rarely that she did anything that defied protocol, and besides, they had all been there and they had all been having a good time. Although Vivian had been the first to leave, reminding them all they had work in the morning, she had been enjoying herself, too.

Sam sighed and it turned into a yawn. After checking that her coffee-maker was set and ready to brew at the exact time her alarm went off – it always did, but she checked it every night nonetheless – she poured herself a glass of water, quickly downing it. After a moment´s hesitation, she refilled the glass and sipped from it as she exited the kitchen and walked into her small bedroom. Putting it on the bedside table, she switched on the small lamp next to it, needing a little light to decide which clothes to wear in the morning. She doubted she was going to feel much from tonight´s excess, but it didn´t hurt to have everything ready just in case. That was a mantra that applied to most aspects of her life anyway; Sam liked to be prepared and didn´t care much for surprises. Something the occasional boyfriend had learned the hard way over the years.

After deciding on a grey pantsuit, forgoing her usual preference for black due to the heat, she found a thin silk shirt to match and draped the items over a chair in the corner. Then she unceremoniously discarded the clothes she was wearing, letting them pile on the floor before returning to her closet to retrieve a tank top and underwear to sleep in. It was too hot still to sleep in much else and she rarely slept in the nude. Not that she felt particularly self-conscious; it had just never appealed to her.

Having made her arrangements for the next day, she trudged out into the bathroom, eager to get ready for bed. She was tempted to just brush her teeth and leave her makeup as it was, but knew she would regret it in the morning. So she diligently removed what little she was wearing and then the diamond studs in her ears and the thin necklace around her neck. In the bright light of the bathroom, she couldn´t help but notice that her face looked a little flushed and she wondered absently if the beers she had had earlier were the cause of it, or if she was just feeling too hot.

As she gazed into the mirror, carefully brushing her long blond hair, she suddenly caught her own eyes in the reflection and Sam both felt and saw herself smile involuntarily. The grotesque tale of how Jack Malone acquired his money had popped into her mind, and she wouldn´t soon be forgetting the expression on his face as he related the story to her.

About five years ago he had been given the assignment to completely secure a house, to turn it into a virtual fortress of metal bars, alarms, steel and concrete. Something taken straight out of the movie "Panic Room" apparently. The owner of the house had been an eccentric old man named Werner Blockhausen - Sam had noticed how Jack had to search before settling on the word 'eccentric' to describe him – and the only thing that rivaled the man´s fortune was his raging paranoia. The amount of surveillance and security measures he had insisted on had been driving Jack crazy, not to mention the man´s very unfriendly, offensive personality. He had been a true misogynist, a xenophobe and just plain out rude, but it had turned into a challenge, which Jack hadn´t been able to resist.

So after suffering weeks of abuse, condescending or outlandish suggestions as well as daily friskings in case he had been taken in by the enemy (i.e. Blockhausen´s estranged and rather distant relatives) Jack had given Werner Blockhausen his very own Fort Knox to live in. Or as Jack had said, sounding both amused and rueful, to hide in from the rest of the world until he died or the world simply forgot he ever existed. The final straw had been when Blockhausen had ordered Jack to hand over every single blueprint, instruction or manual to his house and the systems inside it. Not so that he could hide them in a safe place in his house as Jack had suspected, but because he planned to eat them, in utter seriousness claiming it was the only way to make sure they never saw the light of day. He had even made Jack sign an affidavit that he did not have any replicas in his possession.

At this point a disbelieving Samantha had interrupted, asking if Jack hadn´t worried about the man´s sanity by then. Jack had shrugged, saying he did have his concerns, but that any attempt he made to talk to Blockhausen about other things than the fortification of his property had been fruitless.

In any case, after the job was done, Jack had been dismissed with a very generous check and he had decided to treat himself to a short trip to Europe, visiting Paris as well as Rome. He had barely been in Rome for a week before he was tracked down by a man working for the American Embassy, saying that he was wanted for questioning by the police back in the States.

A more and more incredulously looking Jack had listened in stunned silence as a disembodied voice on the other end of the phone had informed him that Mr. Blockhausen had died a few days after he left the country. As far as the medical examiner could tell, he had suffered a minor heart attack, but had enough presence of mind to call 911. Unfortunately, when the ambulance arrived, the paramedics had been unable to enter the house. Presumably Blockhausen had lost consciousness by then and was unable to be of any assistance. It had taken almost an entire day and help of the local and very enthusiastic fire department to finally force their way into the house. When at last they reached him, he had been lying dead on the floor, his hand clutching a piece of paper. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be a plan of the house, and one of the corners appeared to have had a bite taken out of it.

Jack´s narrative had trailed off after that last remark and Sam had pursed her lips slightly, avoiding his eyes and trying to think of a fitting grimace. It wasn´t funny, of course; in fact, it was a very tragic story. She could just picture the poor man lying there, perhaps slowly realizing that his own paranoia was going to be the end of him.

Returning her gaze to Jack, she had been surprised to see a faint smile on his face and when he spoke, he didn´t sound reproachful. "It´s okay to smile. As a matter of fact, I was told later that when they found him they said he looked like he was smiling himself." Jack had sighed, then finished wryly, "I´d like to think that even in his death, Werner Blockhausen took pleasure in the fact that no one could get into his house without his permission."

That should have been the end of it, but for Jack it had only been the beginning when shortly afterwards it was revealed that he was the sole beneficiary of Blockhausen´s vast fortune. Apparently, the following months hadn´t been pleasant and they had begun speaking about other matters shortly after that.

Sam placed her brush on the edge of the sink and slipped out of the bathroom. Her eyes were growing heavy and the red numbers of her alarm told her she had less time to sleep in than she liked. At least she wasn´t on call tonight if any emergency cases should be sent their way.

As the last part of her nightly routine, she reached for the hand lotion that was also on her bedside table, pressed out a sufficient amount and rubbed it into her hands. The slight excess lotion she absentmindedly wiped off on her thighs, but then, as nearly always happened, her hand stilled when she felt the delicate change of texture on her left thigh and she looked down.

The scar was still there, just as it had been the day before, just as it would be the day after tomorrow and for the rest of her life. It was a constant and merciless reminder of one of the worst moments of Sam´s life.

A missing person´s case had turned out to be a kidnapping and a so-called routine drop-off had from one second to the next escalated into a hostage situation. Sam had been caught inside a bookstore with several other hostages and the kidnapper, a Barry Mashburn, had grown increasingly erratic and desperate as time passed and the FBI were either unable or unwilling to meet his demands. What had happened next was a little fuzzy to her, but there had been a struggle and a gun had gone off. It wasn´t until she reached down and felt the moisture seep through the denim that she had realized that she had been hit and then the pain set in. Everything had been chaotic after that as SWAT had stormed the building and broken down the door. No other hostage had been hurt so the operation had been deemed a success, but Barry Mashburn had been killed in the process. Two days later, Sydney Harrison, the kidnapper´s victim, had been found in the back of a van. She had been alive, but barely.

Sam had spent weeks in the hospital and gone through a painful period of physical rehabilitation followed by sessions almost as painful with the in-house counselor before she was allowed back into the field.

Of course, that hadn´t been the end of her problems.

Refusing to think more about it, Sam slid underneath the covers and reached out to switch off the lamp. Her bedroom was instantly enveloped in a pleasing darkness and the cool air from the air conditioner slowly smoothed the furrow in her brow. It had been a long, but not an altogether bad day, a small voice in her head added as she felt herself grow sleepy.

She fell asleep idly wondering how long Jack Malone would be around.

xxx

In a darkly lit hotel room some distance away the man himself was picking up the cell phone that he had deliberately neglected to bring with him. Without gazing at the display, he shrugged off his leather jacket with relative ease - he was getting better at working around the cast - and hit a single key, hearing it quickly dial the preprogrammed number to his voicemail. He didn´t really expect there to be any messages at this hour, especially as this wasn´t a phone number he gave out to clients, so he was slightly surprised when he was informed he had one new message.

Walking quietly through the carpeted room to the large window overlooking the city, Jack listened as Vivian´s voice reached his ear. She must have called him not very long after she got home when he and Samantha had still been at the bar. She sounded tired, but pleasant enough: 'Jack, it´s me. I´ve thought it over and although I still can´t decide whether it´s incredibly romantic or absolutely crazy, I´ll help you out as much as I can. Of course, you have to realize that this can´t be my top priority, but since you haven´t been able to track her down yourself – and I know how good you are at that kind of thing – then maybe, _just maybe_, there´s a case here. Just don´t get ahead of yourself, okay? I´ll ask around, see if any of my people have some time they don´t mind spending helping you out. No promises, though! I´ll assist as much as I can, but I do have an actual job to do. I´ll call you tomorrow morning.'

Jack smiled softly to himself as he saved the message and then hung up. Turning halfway, he tossed the phone carelessly onto the lush bedspread covering the large king size bed, then looked back out of the window. His head felt heavy and he pressed his forehead lightly against the glass and closed his eyes. It wasn´t as cool as he had hoped, but it helped to clear his thoughts a little nonetheless.

So Vivian was going to help him. He hadn´t been sure at all that she would, and he wouldn´t even have blamed her in the least if she had turned him down. He knew it was crazy - she didn´t have to tell him that - and he knew the prospects of finding her weren´t that good. After pouring his heart out to her, Viv had gently but firmly pointed out to Jack what he himself reluctantly had come to realize towards the end of his futile search: Pretty much any person who was an American citizen living an average life going to work, voting and paying taxes could be located sooner or later.

It was still early days and the fact that he hadn´t been able to find even the smallest trace of her in the time he had been looking could be a coincidence. However, it could also indicate one possibly insurmountable thing: Virginia Griffith didn´t want to be found.

As he stood there, his head bowed and his breath lightly misting the glass, Jack couldn´t help but wonder if the reason why she didn´t want to be found was the same reason why she had so abruptly disappeared from his life all those years ago.

He hadn´t known the reason back then either.

TBC…


End file.
